Category Archive

When I first started learning about “good” food, I rarely thought about the complete food system: the land, plants, trees, or the people who harvested the food. I never thought about the people who live in food deserts and lack access to healthy and fresh foods. In reality, I never thought about the concept of food justice or understood that …

Name: Ethan Whitener Class: 2016 Hometown: Lawrence, NJ Major: History Why did you initially express interest in the farm? I worked on the grounds crew originally but I was interested in fresh food so I talked to Theresa and asked her if there was work to be done and she said yes. The rest is history. What do you love …

Davidson had the privilege of hosting Mary Mazzio, director of the documentary The Apple Pushers (2011), on campus in January. The Apple Pushers is a film about immigrant street vendors in New York City and touches on sensitive issues like immigration, the obesity crisis, and food access. In a conversation with Mazzio, a group of Davidson students explored the intricate …

Practices that fit in the Triple Bottom Lines of sustainability have to be socially, economically and ecologically relatable to the region’s sustainable development. In Ghana, Ecumenical Association for Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development (ECASARD), a unique organization that not only brings Muslim and Christian faith-based farmers, but also NGOs, policy makers and research institutions together to create and promote affordable, …

Importing affordable whole fruits in bulk from low-cost exporters has effectively increased the availability of fresh produce in most (fairly) developed countries. The year of 2012 witnessed the huge demand from world’s five largest banana importers: EU, US, Russian, China and Japan consuming 73% of 16.5 million tons of bananas exported. While citizens in importing countries benefited from the low-cost …

This past week, Xiaoyun, Lucy and I took a two-day trip to Chongming Island to conduct follow-up interviews at Xingeng Eco Farm and DreamLand Farm. At both farms, there was emphasis on nature education as a core component of each Farm’s Mission Statement. At DreamLand Farm, Zhang Lu talked about how the biodiversity of the land is important in the …

In China, farming is not a revered occupation, it is stigmatized as peasant work. The next generation of farmers are trying to move away from their farming roots and into the rapidly modernizing culture. Yet we have met revolutionary farmers who have left the fast paced city life to Farm due to dissatisfaction with food system. Dissatisfaction with the food …

In the Ethnographic Film, Peasant, Family Happiness by Jenny Chio, Chio looks at two villages that are “ethnic tourism” destinations in Contemporary China. These villages stimulate the local economy by creating tourist attractions for both urban Chinese and foreigners based on ethnic and regional culture. Food often participates as a main attraction. I was first introduced to the term “Nong …

This past week, Xiaoyun, Lucy and I took a two-day trip to Chongming Island to conduct follow-up interviews at Xingeng Eco Farm and DreamLand Farm. At both farms, there was emphasis on nature education as a core component of each Farm’s Mission Statement. At DreamLand Farm, Zhang Lu talked about how the biodiversity of the land is important in the …

“The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles. Freeman and slave, patrician and plebeian, lord and serf, guild-master and journeyman, in a word, oppressor and oppressed, stood in constant opposition to one another, carried on an uninterrupted, now hidden, now open fight, a fight that each time ended, either in a revolutionary reconstitution of society …